{"text":[[{"start":11.12,"text":"The pro-independence leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have seized on Andy Burnham’s devolutionary rhetoric as a justification for their calls for self-determination."}],[{"start":22.58,"text":"The trio took part in a meeting in Cardiff on Monday to mark the first time that the three posts have been filled by politicians committed to breaking up the UK."}],[{"start":31.82,"text":"John Swinney, the Scottish National Party leader, said Burnham had already accepted this logic given his argument that “decisions should be taken close to where people live their lives”."}],[{"start":42.88,"text":"“We need a major reset in these islands,” added Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru."}],[{"start":50.48,"text":"Swinney’s Scottish National Party has put independence on the agenda after winning a mandate for a fifth consecutive government in May’s Holyrood election."}],[{"start":59.08,"text":"However, he has received criticism from supermarkets for his plan to impose a price cap on a basket of staple food items."}],[{"start":66.8,"text":"He told the FT on Monday that he had “heard” the views of business on the price cap, but he would also listen to people struggling with the price of food."}],[{"start":75.4,"text":"The government’s ongoing consultation would help “take this forward,” he added."}],[{"start":80.36,"text":"Swinney also denied that the latest international educational benchmarking results, which saw Scotland lag England in outcomes, were caused solely by the Scottish curriculum’s greater emphasis on skills rather than knowledge."}],[{"start":93.5,"text":"With multiple forces involved, he said the curriculum should address the growing number of challenges facing children."}],[{"start":100.16,"text":"Last week, Burnham said Scotland was in the same position as Northern Ireland, where the Good Friday Agreement allows for a border poll over reunification with Ireland if there is enough public support for another referendum."}],[{"start":112.64,"text":"Swinney said this was “crucial” and that Burnham would “be the last prime minister of the UK”."}],[{"start":118.04,"text":"His independence push has so far met a defiant response from the UK government."}],[{"start":122.84,"text":"Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, said independence and another referendum were “off limits.”"}],[{"start":129.08,"text":"They would act as “a distraction” to economic growth and tackling the cost of living, Alexander said."}],[{"start":133.52,"text":"The trilateral Cardiff summit came after Donald Trump used a visit to Ireland at the weekend to call for Irish reunification, saying such a move was inevitable and “one of the naturals of all time”."}],[{"start":145.68,"text":"The Democratic Unionist Party, Northern Ireland’s biggest pro-UK political group, accused Sinn Féin’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill of seeking to “weaponise the role of first minister” to seek to break up the UK by attending the summit."}],[{"start":161.04,"text":"The DUP deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly said that O’Neill had no right to attend the meeting in her capacity as first minister since their two roles are entirely shared."}],[{"start":171.74,"text":"O’Neill said that she was attending in her role as party leader."}],[{"start":175.32,"text":"She added that the “historic change” of Monday’s summit witnessed “common cause here is the right to self-determination . . . and that message is heard in Westminster,” which she described as a “healthy debate”."}],[{"start":186.76,"text":"O’Neill and Little-Pengelly were hailed as a breath of fresh air when they took the helm of the Stormont executive in 2024. But they have been accused of “unedifying bickering” and creating a “toxic environment” by legislators."}],[{"start":200.28,"text":"Mary Lou McDonald, president of Sinn Féin, who also attended Monday’s summit, said, “It is not an exaggeration to say that this meeting today is historic.”"}],[{"start":209.3,"text":"She said a date for a border poll should be made clear by 2030."}],[{"start":216.76,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1789449279_5025.mp3"}